Sabrina, Author at The Beauty Look Book

Highlighters

New Highlighter Launches for Fall

September 24, 2017

The highlighter trend is still going very strong and brands show no signs of slowing down with new releases. I love a good glow and trying new highlighters is one of my favorite things to do. I tend to be ok with varying degrees of glowy shimmers but these days it seems like the more glitz the better. I can’t pull off lots of frost, glitter or super light colored shimmers with my olive tan complexion so for me this roundup has some misses alongside some hits for me. There are a number of new launches out that aren’t included in this post. I’ll add a few notes at the end with some extra thoughts.

One of the palettes that caught my eye immediately was the Laura Mercier Exotique Face Illuminator Collection Palette. It’s exclusive to Sephora and has two new shades of their Face Illuminators in Infatuation and Temptation. I already own the other two Indiscretion and Devotion in the full size (reviewed here) and while I would have really preferred to have a palette with all new shades I do like that it has these as it will be a good one for travel. Indiscretion happens to be one of my favorites that I own. Going forward if I had to travel with 1 highlighter palette I think this would be in my top 3 picks. Formulas is true to full size – smooth, easy to build, doesn’t emphasize pores, beautiful color and shimmer. They last long on my skin even in humid weather. You can wear on the eyes or cheeks, alone or over blush/bronzer. It’s a solid winner for me.

Next are the highlighters from Hourglass and Fenty Beauty. I’ve been a long time fan of Hourglass Ambient Lighting highlighters. This holiday they have two new palettes. One is the Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette and the other is the Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3. I have the trio reviewed today and the other palette will be reviewed separately as it has more than just highlighters.

The Ambient Lighting Powders in general have a softer but noticeable glow. This season they’ve increased the intensity with the Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette which has the most intense shimmer I’ve seen from them. Pigment is smooth, nicely pigmented and very metallic. Colors are on the pale side and on my olive tan skin they look very similar on the face with the exception of the middle color which is clearly more gold/yellow. I can wear this with a very light and soft hand. I use a skunk brush to apply on the cheeks and it’s still very intense and metallic. Compared to previous powders launched from Hourglass this is very unique in color and finish. It has a less powdery finish compared to the Ambient Strobe Powders which some of you reported you found glittery or chalky (although they worked well for me). The Metallic Strobe Powder by comparison have no glitter particles and there isn’t any matte/chalky/powdery base but instead has a more metallic shimmer like a wet-look shimmer.

I’m kinda mixed on this one. I do think it’s a good palette. Quality, finish, pigment, texture and price are all a thumbs up. Color-wise it’s a miss as I find it’s a little too pale for me as I have quite a bit of tan and the paleness of color makes it look extra shimmery on my skin.

Next are the Fenty Beauty Match Stix Shimmer Skinsticks. I bought both sight unseen but have since had a chance to play with the entire line at Sephora. My first test with Starstruck (pale champagne pink) wasn’t good. I found it had a gritty texture and looked really dry. I tested it a few more times and it grew on me. However there is still something with the paleness that makes it too contrasted with my tan skintone and it ends up emphasizing texture. Sinamon works better for me as it is a pretty bronzey color. Both have a buildable shimmer quality and they adhere well to the skin and in this hot humid Florida weather they held up remarkably well. That being said if you have any dry patches or if you find shimmer can emphasize texture – definitely be aware these can emphasize both. I don’t think these would work for me in normal weather climate on the cheeks as they have a rather dry texture that almost tugs at the skin. They are easy to blend with fingers and I think the issue with most cream products in general is they are lacking in lasting power. For me the two shimmer sticks I tested held up really well so I’m ok with the slightly dry texture. I actually wanted to get Rum but my store was sold out. Given the number of highlighters I have and also keeping in mind holiday will probably have more offerings I’ll hold off on purchasing more.

I was able to wear both without any irritation or clogging of skin. This is something I’m always concerned about when it comes to cream or liquid cheek products. I give these a thumbs up for formula even if the colors I picked aren’t really all that unique. Starstruck just didn’t work color-wise on the cheeks for me but the formula is still really good and I find it’s lovely on the eyes.

Edward Bess makes my holy grail cream highlighters with the All Over Seduction compacts. This fall he has new launches with a Harmonious Hues Light Stick Trio which are twist up highlighters in a chubby pencil form. The colors include Candlelight (champagne), Ambience (peachy gold), Aura (soft bronze) and I absolutely love these. The shimmer is subtle but still noticeably glowy, the texture is creamy and easy to swipe on the face or eyes and easy to blend. They have a semi-emollient finish which makes the color adhere well to the skin. It’s as natural as it gets without being invisible. The colors are right up my alley.

He also has a new powder highlighter called the Marbleized Rose Gold Highlighting Powder. It’s a very pale yellow gold with smooth luminous shimmer. I love this video he did with an application on lighter skinned complexions. I think it looks amazing on them! Yellow golds really aren’t my thing as I already have yellow-based skin but I like this one on the eyes for me. The texture is very smooth and beautifully pigmented without the frost.

Cover FX launched a new set of mini Custom Enhancer Drops in a set of 4. These are larger than the ones you may have seen in a few GWPs or Beauty Insider gifts but smaller than the full size. I’ve shown them below. If you’re one who wants to try a bunch of colors or want to travel with more than 1 these are perfect. When I ordered them I didn’t realize they were existing shades (I should have read the description). I saw “minis” and it went in my cart and I didn’t think twice. Since I already own these I’m sending these to my niece. They come with a similar dropper style packaging as the full size. The shimmer is buildable to full intensity. Don’t be scared at how shimmery they look. They are actually very wearable and easy to blend out. Review on the full sizes here and here.

Last but not least Charlotte Tilbury launched a Beauty Light Wand with her Hollywood Collection. I just reviewed it a few days ago here but wanted to include it in the fall roundup. It’s a really pretty one and surprisingly convenient for on the go touch ups or for travel.

I managed to get a few decent face swatch shots. We are in between places living a rather nomadic life and are about to make our fourth move this year very soon. My setup for everything has been rather on-the-go for the past few months and I couldn’t get the focus right on the camera the last few rounds of reviews. Four highlighter face swatches shown below:

Foundation is Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Foundation in Buff
Concealer is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger
Powder to set is Armani Luminous Silk Powder Foundation 4
Brow pencil is Diorshow Browstyler in Universal Brown
Lipstick is Tom Ford Lips and Girls in Zoe
For highlighter:
- Top row left has the new Laura Mercier L’Amour Exotique Face Illuminator Collection with Infatuation
- Top row right has the new Laura Mercier L’Amour Exotique Face Illuminator Collection with Temptation
- Bottom row left has Hourglass Absolute Strobe Light
- Bottom row right has the FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Rose Gold on the right

Additional ones that were on my radar that I haven’t tested (yet):

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Smoky Quartz is on my wishlist, I wish it were available at Sephora or Ulta because it’s where I can get points or perks, this one looks so so pretty, I obviously do not need, but if you have it let me know what you think
Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters are something I swatched in store and the colors/pigment is quite impressive, with each duo at least 1 side has some micro sparkles which I thought would be too over the top for what I’d normally wear, I may give one a try – the pigment is soooo good!
Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder Trio looks amazing, I really loved her highlighting powders this year and think it’s possible the trio would be dupes for the individual shades I own, but the finish of these powders is really divine
By Terry Compact Expert Dual Powders are new powder + highlighters in a compact, I will have a review on all the shades soon, I bought 5 of the 8 shades, fell in love, ordered the remaining 3 which should arrive soon, the texture and finish is so naturally beautiful (some look light in color like they could be highlighters but I’ll have to do some more testing to report)
Burberry Fresh Glow Highlighters have such a lovely glow, I’ve swatched on several occasion in stores and have been extremely tempted but I really love my Laura Mercier and Dior highlighters and felt it would be like owning duplicates
Victoria Beckham Estee Lauder Modern Mercury has been on my radar for quite some time but it kept selling out with previous launches, that being said it should be easy to find now, if I can test it in person first I’ll give it a try, I still own the Modern Mercury color before it was part of the VB collection (I had a backup) and I suspect it’s identical so I don’t think I’ll be purchasing it

All this being said, if you feel overwhelmed by all the highlighter options, you are definitely not alone. I’m on highlighter overload (and also feel that way about new foundation base launches too). I still feel my top highlighter picks include the Dior Nude Air Luminizer Powders (all four reviewed here), Laura Mercier Indiscretion (review here), Hourglass Luminous Light (review here) and Edward Bess All Over Seduction (reviewed here).

Out of the new launches the Laura Mercier palette is my favorite, followed by the By Terry Compacts (not reviewed yet, but will be soon!).

Have you jumped on the highlighter bandwagon for fall launches? What have you picked up lately (new or previously launched colors)? Let me know what you’ve been loving!

Press samples include items from Hourglass, Edward Bess and Charlotte Tilbury.

19 Comments

L'Occitane Skincare

Glowing Skin with the L’Occitane Divine Collection

September 21, 2017

I’ve been a long-time fan of the L’Occitane Divine Youth Oil and Youth Cream for the gentle yet effective anti-aging properties. This fall season they reformulated their Divine Youth Oil to increase the concentration of Immortelle essential oils to improve the anti-aging properties. L’Occitane has also expanded the Divine Skincare Collection with new cleansers and I’m thrilled to have been able to get an early peek at them to put to the test. I have five items featured today. For those new to my blog I’ll give you a little background on my skin type and concerns. I’m in my mid-30’s and have sensitive but otherwise normal skin. I’m extremely sensitive to many kinds of fragrance and any kind of reaction (to scent, ingredients etc.) usually happens immediately. I’ve used L’Occitane since I was a freshman in college starting with their Shea Butter hand creams and cuticle treatments, ventured into their body treatments and then skincare. They’ve consistently been a favorite for natural gentle and effective formulas for my skin type. For most of my life I lived in Southern California where there was mild but warm climate and the Divine Youth Oil was perfect for cooler weather and also for times I felt dry. I currently live in Florida where the heat and humidity are pretty high but I’ve still experienced dryness due to the water. My primary concerns are anti-aging, finding something lightweight but with enough moisture to hydrate the skin, and also finding cleansers that will remove all traces of sweat, makeup and dirt at the end of the day.

The Immortelle Divine Youth Oil has been a long-time go-to and the new formula is just as good as the original. It has a lightweight soothing natural earthy scent to it, absorbs quickly into the skin and makes all tightness (if you are dry) disappear. On me it’s instantly soothing and hydrating with a good dry down but still has that soft emollient feel. Skin feels noticeably more plump and smooth. It’s one of my favorite oils ever.

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The Immortelle Divine Youth Cream is also one of my favorite face moisturizers because it has a very soft consistency. This one also absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave any heavy or goopy residue. It leaves the skin looking like it has a natural glow and it’s compatible with the different formulas of foundation that I use. In general I’m more of a cream person than an oil person for day so if I had to pick one, I’d probably opt for the cream over the oil.

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The Immortelle Divine Eyes isn’t new, but it’s new to me. My personal favorite eye treatment has actually been the Immortelle Precious Eye Balm, but I love trying all kinds of eye treatments. The Immortelle Divine Eyes comes with a nice pump that dispenses just the right amount of product for me to cover both eyes (I only use a tiny bit). It’s a creamy gel formula that has a lightweight feel. Often times I can’t use the rich formulas for eye cream because they run into my eyes and sting them. This one has a light enough texture that it sets within a few minutes and make the skin feel smoother and softer.

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There are two new cleansers this season for a double cleanse routine including the Immortelle Divine Cleansing Balm (in a jar) and Cleansing Foam (comes in a squeeze tube). The Divine Cleansing Balm is a super hydrating balm-in-oil formula that you massage into the skin to remove makeup. Once you work it in a circular motion on the face it transforms into an oil. It removes all face makeup (I still use a regular eye makeup remover to remove mascara and eyeliner first) and almost feels like a mask treatment after you rinse. L’Occitane recommends using the Cleansing Foam after as a double cleanse to further remove impurities from the skin. I’ve tried both together and also separately. In the mornings I find I can just use the Cleansing Foam. In the evenings I like the double cleanse routine to completely clean the skin. It’s something I do anyways as I wear makeup pretty much everyday and with the long-wear formulas I find double cleansing essential to fully cleanse the skin.

As a beauty blogger I love putting new things to the test but I still like to have a routine. The nice thing about brands like L’Occitane is that you can easily incorporate one or two new items into your morning or nightly skincare rituals without having to overhaul your entire routine. As cooler weather approaches I always have to switch things up a bit as my skin adjusts to temperature changes. I start using oils more frequently and if you’re looking for a nice gentle one I highly recommend giving the L’Occitane Divine Youth Oil a try for glowing skin.

As an added bonus the L’Occitane team is giving away everything featured in this post to 1 lucky winner. Enter through the widget below. It’s open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to enter. Simply follow through the instructions in the widget and a winner will be selected at random and contacted by me via e-mail by 9/25/2017 11:45 PM EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Many thanks to L’Occitane for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions my own.

68 Comments

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Collection

September 20, 2017

By popular request I have a review + swatches of the entire Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Collection. This collection launched a few weeks ago with new makeup formulas for lips (liquid lips) and cheeks (contour wands and a new highlight wand). I’m still playing catch up with posting about new beauty launches – these have all been put to the test for several weeks by now. The entire collection has a glamorous theme with luxe packaging. For me there are some hits and misses with this launch. More details on each below.

For the lips there are 10 shades of a new liquid lipstick called Hollywood Lips which are soft matte liquid lipsticks that have a plumping effect. I’m still not a fan of liquid lipsticks because I have full lips and matte shades tend to make my lips either look flat, dark or wrinkled like prunes. The best thing about liquid lips is the lasting power once they set and don’t budge after they dry however for me the “setting” factor isn’t something that works in my favor. They usually make my lips look like dry cardboard and I end up looking aged. Adding a balm or primer underneath can help with the finish for me but it’s an extra step I’m not thrilled about (I did that here with the NARS Powermatte Lips). In terms of matte lipsticks in general, the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution formula is the best matte I’ve tried (reviewed here and here). I had high hopes of the new Hollywood Lips as her colors are usually 100% on point but I was still unsure of the formula. These come with a beveled sponge tip applicator and have full buildable coverage. Texture is smooth and easy to blend but they still dry to a soft matte finish. Once on the lips they don’t budge or slide around but they aren’t transfer proof as they never set or dry completely. The thing that struck me the most was how full they made my lips look – without any tingle or plumping feel. The formula is one of the better ones I’ve tried for a matte liquid lip but it still has not made me fall in love with liquid lipsticks. Out of all the liquid lipstick formulas I’ve tried the Burberry Lip Velvets have the best formula and finish but if you remember my review from a while ago, none of the colors worked for me. With the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips the colors work well, but formula is still a bit dry-looking.

Descriptions of the colors:

Charlotte Darling is a light peachy pink
Best Actress is a perfect nude
Dolly Bird is a cool-toned light pink
Platinum Blonde is a pink nude
Rising Star is a medium neutral pink
Pin Up Pink is a deeper brighter rose
Too Bad I’m Bad is a deep coral pink
Show Girl is a perfect plum mauve
Dangerous Liason is a deep brick red
Screen Siren is a bright red

My favorites are Best Actress, Platinum Blonde, Too Bad I’m Bad and Show Girl. All the darker shades performed the best for me. I was relieved to see all the lighter colors worked as well color-wise, the formula not so much with Charlotte Darling and Dolly Bird – they looked extra dry on my lips.

Next are the contour and highlight which I wasn’t excited about in the least. To this day I’m not huge about contouring as I have a round face and there’s really only so much I can do to create the illusion of sharper cheek bones. I do use products to contour softly in a 3 shape (or backwards 3 on one side) with creams or powders but it’s usually a very quick process for me. I don’t have the patience to do a proper contour. There are two shades of the Hollywood Contour Wand in Light-Medium and Medium-Dark. Swatched on the arm you can clearly see the difference in undertone but on my face both look very similar in the sense they look dark straight out of the squeeze tube. The Beauty Light Wand highlighter comes in one shade Spotlight which looked super frosty when I swatched it but was surprisingly wearable once blended onto the face. Both come with a sponge tip applicator which is soft and cushiony. I don’t know how well it will hold up after use – it’s something that looks like it could get really dirty quickly.

The pigment is intense and quite rich but very easy to blend for a natural look. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like these. They do set after a few minutes so I’d recommend blending quickly. The Double-Ended Complexion Contour Brush is very good and quite clever with the smaller angled tip so you can easily blend along the nose or other areas where you want a more detailed contour or highlight. I’ve lost some of my tan with recent travel and the heat here in Florida has made it where I’ve pretty much stayed indoors as much as possible. I like the Light-Medium color but think it has enough of a cool undertone to work for those lighter in skintone than me.

Swatches:

A quick look with two of the Hollywood Lips and the Contour Wand + Beauty Light Wand. I’m wearing:

Diorskin Forever Perfect Foundation in 21 mixed with 31
Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Powder #2
Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brow Gel in Supermodel
Contour Wand in Light Medium
Beauty Light Wand in Spotlight (both on eyes and cheeks)
Right side: Hollywood Lips in Platinum Blonde, left side: Screen Siren

Bottom line a nice collection for lips and cheeks. The Hollywood Lips are definitely among the better formulas I’ve tried since they don’t dry down 100% and aren’t super matte. The colors are all beautiful and easy to wear. I was pleasantly surprised by how wearable and easy to use the contour wand and highlighter are. They’re compact and easy to travel with or apply on the go if you need to touch up or apply makeup in the car.

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Collection now at Charlotte Tilbury and Beautylish. Also available at all other Charlotte Tilbury counters.

Many thanks to the Charlotte Tilbury team and Beautylish for providing products for me to review and swatch for my readers.

17 Comments

Hourglass Cosmetics Lips

Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks

September 18, 2017

I’m back in Florida with my family and we are all safe and sound. We are all slowly getting back into the swing of things and today I have a review on the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks ($34 each 0.03 oz/ .9 g, $22 for the refills). I had planned to publish this weeks ago but as some say better late than never. I initially reviewed one shade called I Woke Up in my neutral lip haul back in July (time flies!). At that time there were only select handful of shades that launched in store but by now the Sephora stores I’ve visited have the entire color lineup. The Hourglass team sent all the refills for review and I’ve swatched them by color grouping below. Due to time restraints, life and travel I didn’t have time to photograph and edit all the lip swatches, but I did test each color. I find my initial thoughts to be the same across the board. The Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks are among the best formula I’ve tried. They’re creamy, opaque, smooth, incredibly long-lasting, they don’t feather, they don’t dry out the lips and there’s no detectable scent. The slim packaging has a good weight in the hand when you hold them – it’s actually a lot nicer in person than I had anticipated. The only downside is the price which I still think is too high considering the amount of product you get. After falling in love with I Woke Up, I had planned on purchasing 2-3 more colors as the formula is very very good. A press package arrived before I made it to the store.

There are 30 shades total available at most stores and counters which I have swatched and reviewed today. There are a few colors exclusive to the Hourglass website in I Dream and I Love, along with three shades exclusive to a Holiday Trio Set with My One Desire, True Love Means and You Are My. I don’t have these featured in this post but I will review the colors in the holiday set soon though.

In swatching 30 of the colors on the arm and testing them on the lips I was really impressed that each color had smooth opaque coverage. In lipstick launches I usually find at least a few colors that are either too pale and streaky or too dark and streaky. All the colors I tested covered my pigmented lips entirely with ultra smooth pigment and coverage. There were a few pale colors I found a bit too pale for my skintone but they still performed really well. As usual a lot of the reds looked really similar on my complexion but that is the case with most reds. You can see a slight difference in undertone in the arm swatches so if you lean more towards a warm or cool base I hope the swatches help you find your perfect red.

A quick look at the packaging. These are refillable lipsticks and they are easy to assemble. You can buy them as a complete lipstick for $34 or the refills at $22 each. The refills themselves are usable alone so if you want to skip the exterior you can. For the refills you basically remove the cap and base and insert them into the gold exterior. They twist up and down.

I’ve swatched these by color grouping, up first are the lighter shades:

The First Time – pink beige
I Wish – neutral pale nude beige
One Day – neutral beige pink
No One Knows – light pinky peach
I Lust For – peachy beige cream
I’ll Never Stop – beige nude cream
I Want – deeper pink beige

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Next set:

I Always – bright fuchsia cool pink
You Can Find Me – peachy coral pink
My Favorite – neutral-cool pink
I’ve Kissed – medium neutral rose pink
I’m Addicted – tawny rose pink
If Only – pink with some berry tones
I’ve Never – medium peachy tan beige
I Woke Up – soft rose pink

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Brighter and deeper shades:

I Believe – bright cool pink
I Can’t Wait – vibrant peony pink
I Live For – bright orange red
I Desire – bright orange red, slightly deeper than I Live For
I Crave – brick red
My Icon Is – true red
Secretly – slightly deeper red
I Can’t Live Without – deeper berry red

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Last set:

At Night – brick red with brown tones
I’ve Been – brown with red undertone
One Time – bright rose pink
When I’m With You – bright pink with cool plum tones
When I’m Alone – deep berry red
If I Could – plum red cream
I Hide My – plum

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I swatched 10 shades on the lips to try and show the range of color. These are all swatched on bare lips. Foundation shade worn is Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation and Concealer in Natural.

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As mentioned in my previous review these are excellent in formula, presentation, packaging and lasting power. They aren’t moisturizing but they don’t dry out my lips. These Confession lipsticks also feel comfortable and weightless on the lips even though they are full coverage. The slim design and angled mold these are formed in helps create a clean and precise line. By comparison the GIRL Lip Stylos have a creamier feel with more shine but also can get prone to looking messy once you wear the tip down (not a deal breaker for me, but just an observation). I love that the Confession lipsticks have a tiny bit of shine to them as I don’t find that matte finish lipsticks wear well on me (with the exception of the Louboutin and Charlotte Tilbury mattes). In terms of lipstick launches this formula is excellent with full smooth coverage. Out of the new launches I have tested so far, I have no regrets purchasing I Woke Up and would have had no regrets buying a few more although I still think the price tag is too steep for the amount of product you get. If you are looking for a high quality full coverage long-wear lipstick that doesn’t look cakey or matte this is a great option.

You can find the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks along with the refills at all Hourglass counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Space NK, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Hourglass Cosmetics and all other Hourglass retailers.

Have you tried any of these yet? What did you think?

Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks gifted courtesy of Hourglass for review.

22 Comments

Florida

Life Updates

September 11, 2017

I wanted to give an update on my life right now. Thank you to each of you who have messaged me and asked how we are doing. We are all ok: husband, 3 pets, myself and my in-laws. All of us packed up our cars and pets and drove north away from the predicted paths of the hurricane. I skipped my NY plans and stayed in Florida so I could be with my family as there was too much uncertainty about the hurricane and I could not leave them behind with so much unknown.

We evacuated Tampa Bay on Thursday afternoon after the news reported that Hurricane Irma would be a Category 4 Hurricane headed directly towards St. Petersburg – the area where we are currently living. Earlier that week we had been actively tracking the news and alerts by county. We took note of the evacuation notices by zone so we prepared. My husband and I live on the west side of Tampa Bay in Pinellas County and since we were in a no flood zone we almost decided to stay. Our neighbors had checked in on us multiple times over the week and told us we could stay with them at their warehouse which was concrete and in a no-flood zone. They even gave us the code to their house for us to go inside in the event we had any trouble if we decided to stay.

My in-laws however lived in a mandatory evacuation zone on the other side of the bay so Andrew and I drove to their house and spent two days helping them prepare the house. We boarded the doors and windows. The previous owners of the house were so organized – they had all the boards already prepped, labeled and stored in the garage. They even had an evacuation folder they left for my husband’s parents with detailed diagrams labeled boards.

Here is a look at where my in-laws live in one of the canal areas as of Thursday. A lot of the neighborhoods around Tampa Bay look similar to this if they are on the coast or waterfront. This entire area is in Evacuation Zone A. At this time we don’t know what it currently looks like. A couple notes as some of you asked why it was a challenging decision to evacuate and also reasons why so many people stayed behind. Florida has set Evacuation Zones by county. You can see how it’s split on their website. Up until Thursday, unless you were in a mandatory Evacuation Zone (such as this one below) in your county you had little or no direction as to whether an evacuation would be necessary. Zones are primarily set to prepare for hurricane storm surge flooding – it doesn’t take into account possible damage from wind. There are a lot of areas in Florida that are not designated Zone A. Andrew and I were based in Zone D – but it didn’t mean our area could survive hurricane winds.

We left Tampa around 4:30 PM on Thursday worried about a number of things including the possibility that the news was over-reacting and that we would be evacuating for no reason, the fact that almost all the gas stations in town were out of gas, the possibility of we might get stuck on the road since news reporters were reporting gridlock traffic with people abandoning their cars on the highways and also worried if we left we might get stuck on the road with high winds. We looked for alternate routes out of the state and downloaded gas station locator apps. While my husband was researching exit routes I packed up two suitcases with essentials, prepped our 3 pets and loaded everything I could into our car. Our in-laws followed too. We all left with our pets packed with us and anything we could fit into our vehicles.

We drove along the 41 north and found there was no traffic and no gridlock like the news had reported. Most people evacuating must have been driving along the 75 instead. Gas was still something we were worried about. We must have passed at least 40 gas stations all of which were closed and out of gas, all with their pumps wrapped with clear plastic wrap. We found 2 that had gas, both of which had at least a quarter mile long wait line of cars and both were completely surrounded with police cars to ensure everything stayed orderly. Luckily we found open gas stations closer to the Florida Georgia border and we had plenty of gas to get us there. Andrew’s brother was texting from San Francisco helping us with directions to ensure we didn’t hit traffic and also gave us addresses of places to check for gas along the way.

Our kitty and Jake below, our other dog Lucy is hiding behind my car seat.

We drove to Georgia, stayed the night in Columbus and the entire hotel was filled with Florida evacuees. The next day we drove further north through Tennessee (where I had the best BBQ of my life in Nashville) and ended up in Kentucky to stay with Andrew’s sister’s family. At rest stops it was completely heartbreaking – I heard women on their phones in the bathroom stalls crying saying they were worried that they wouldn’t have a home to go back to. This morning as I’m typing this I’ve been trying to find news about Tampa Bay updates while sitting in an airport in Louisville waiting to get on a plane for conference in Santa Barbara.

Driving through Georgia:

At this point we have so many mixed feelings about the entire situation. We felt extreme sadness and guilt leaving Tampa behind worried about everyone who stayed. By now we’ve found the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm. We are relieved that most of Florida seems to be ok right now however at the same time both Andrew and I are completely frustrated and angry at the media and news outlets for not providing accurate information, for fixating on small portions of information and blowing them out of proportion. I believe they caused unnecessary mass panic about so many things which led to things such as drinking water shortages at grocery stores, gas shortages everywhere and even traffic jams. At the same time I understand it’s better to be safe than sorry and also know the threat was indeed to be taken seriously. Finding accurate and reliable information all week long has been a challenge. Certain areas were for sure more prone to damage from storms, flooding and winds. I am still glad we evacuated and relieved that impact of everything isn’t as catastrophic as the news had predicted. It’s been an extremely emotional week and even now there is still a lot of uncertainty about what will happen in the upcoming week. My heart goes out to each and every person in Florida.

Thanks to each of you who have messaged me with your concern. I’m touched by all of your comments and kind messages. I’ll be in California most of this week and at the moment am unsure of when I’ll be able to return to Tampa. My husband and pets are safe and sound though and I’ll keep you posted. Beauty posts I had prepared earlier to resume as soon as I can!

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GWP

Space NK Autumn Beauty Edit GWP

September 8, 2017

Space NK is hosting their Autumn Beauty Edit Gift Event for one day September 8th. With any $275 purchase or more you can receive a gift bag filled with deluxe size samples. If you’re shopping online use code AUTUMN17 at checkout. A list of what’s in the bag this season:

By Terry Cellularose Liftessence Night Cream (0.14 oz)
Nuface Prep-N-Glow Cleansing Cloths (5 cloths)
Uma Oils Absolute Anti-Ageing Eye Oil (3 ml)
Goldfaden MD Vital Boost (7 ml)
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm (5 ml)
Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Overnight Serum (0.16 oz)
Derm Institute Anti-Oxidant Hydration Gel Masque (2 sachets)
Mila Moursi Firming Cream (4 ml)
Miriam Quevedo Black Baccara Dynamic Weekend Peel Booster (3 ml)
Eve Lom Rescue Mask (15 ml)
Ren Flash Hydro-Boost Instant Plumping Emulsion (10 ml)
Juara Candlenut Hydrating Shower Gel (59 ml)
Tula Purifying Cleanser (1 oz)
Jinsoon Nail Lacquer (11 ml)
Smith & Cult Lip Lacquer in Flesh Riot (2.5 ml)
Ouai Wave Spray (50 ml) 17. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray (1 oz)
Chantecaille Flower Harmonizing Cream (8 ml)
Sunday Riley C.E.O C+E Antioxidant Protect + Repair Moisturizer (0.3 oz)
Tata Harper Reparative Moisturizer (10 ml)
Natura Bissé Tensolift Neck Cream (0.16 oz)
111Skin Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel (0.17 oz)
Kat Burki Retin-C Treatment Complex (7.5 ml)
Diptyque Do Son Shower Oil (10 ml)
Malin + Goetz Vitamin b5 Body Moisturizer (2.5 ml)
Rodial Glamolash XXL Mascara (6 ml)
Miriam Quevedo Glacial White Caviar Rescue Masque (50 ml)
Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Peacemaker (0.05 oz)
Kevyn Aucoin The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in Medium (0.69 g)
Lipstick Queen Lip Liner in Nude (0.02 oz)
Space NK beauty bag

I’m currently in the middle of preparing and bracing myself for a hurricane and if you followed me on Instagram stories you know I had a trip to New York for a few days. Due to the unpredictable weather patterns I did not know if I would be able to fly back to Florida. At the last minuted I made the decision to cancel everything so I could stay with my husband and fur babies. There is so much that is unknown – even right now. We are keeping a close eye on the alerts and weather patterns – what the news doesn’t convey clearly is that there are different evacuation orders depending on county. We also know what zone we are in and have an evacuation plan in place.

Had I been able to go to New York I would have stopped by Space NK and bought a few of the new By Terry Compact Expert Dual Powders. I still hope to check them out in the near future. A few other items on my love list that I’d recommend include Diptyque Baies, Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation, Hourglass Confession Lipsticks, Christophe Robin Volumizing Paste, Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo, 111 Skin Bio Cellulose Sheet Masks, Chantecaille Poudre Lumiere, By Terry Stylo Blackstar.

A few of you have messaged me asking whether I think the Barneys Love Yourself Bag or the Space NK Autumn Beauty Bag is better. I think it’s a close call because both have really good options! I have a slight preference for the Barneys bag mainly because it has more items I really wanted to try including the new Byredo fragrance and some hair products. The minimum buy for the Barneys GWP is also lower at $200 vs Space NK’s which is $275. Do note the Barneys bag has 25 items (plus the bag) while the Space NK bag has 30 items (plus the bag). Both are really very good though.

You can find the Space NK Autumn Beauty Edit Gift bag while supplies last in the US in Space NK stores and online at Space NK.

Gift bag provided courtesy of Space NK.

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Barneys New York

Barneys New York Love Yourself Event September 6 to 10

September 6, 2017

September is the month of beauty events and the Barneys New York Love Yourself is back from 9/6 to 9/10. With any $200 or more purchase in beauty (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance or grooming) you’ll receive a beauty bag filled with some of their favorites. Once you add the total to your cart you’ll be able to pick either the Men’s or Women’s set. There are also some individual lines with their own gift with purchase options. Inside the women’s bag:

Camo zip pouch
Ouai Texturizing Spay (1.4 oz/40g)
Byredo Velvet Haze Eau de Parfum (0.06 oz/2 ml)
Karuna Renewal+ Eye Mask (x1 pair, 0.17 fl oz/5 ml)
Replica Eau de Toilette Jazz Club (0.04 fl oz/1.2 ml)
By Terry Cellularose Liftessence Daily Cream (0.14 oz/4 g)
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream (0.25 fl oz/7 ml)
Furterer Karite Nutri Intense Nourishing Mask (0.5 fl oz/15 ml)
Molton Brown Body Wash (1 fl oz/30 ml)
Mila Moursi Cellular Renewal Cream (0.1 fl oz/4 ml)
La Mer Moisturizing Cream (0.12 oz/3.5 ml)
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Cleansing Oil Shampoo (2.5 fl oz/75 ml)
Sachajuan Ocean Mist (50 ml)
Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil (0.08 fl oz/2.5 ml)
Chantecaille Stress Repair Concentrate (.10 oz/3 ml)
Hourglass GIRL Lip Stylo Peacemaker (0.05 oz/1.5 g)
Davines Oi All in One Milk (1.69 fl oz/50 ml)
Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl 16 Noir Revelateur (1.3 /0.04 oz)
Marvis Whitening Mint (0.5 oz/10 ml)
Orion Extrait de Perfume (mini spritzer)
Vitabrid C12 Face Brightening (3 g/0.11 oz)
Sisley Double Tenseur (0.06 fl oz/2 ml)
Malin + Goetz Revitalizing Eye Cream (0.08 fl oz/2.5 ml)
3LAB Super Eye Treatment (3 ml)
NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound (0.07 oz/2 ml)
Lipstick Queen in Eden (0.12 oz/3.5 g)

In the event that you’re not sure what to buy, here’s a few things I’d recommend I think are well worth the splurge:

The Barneys Love Yourself Event is truly one of the best GWP events in the beauty industry. Other retailers should take note! The minimum purchase is indeed on the high side but they make it well worth the splurge. The event runs from 9/6 to 9/10 while supplies last. Online at Barneys.com and also in stores.

This post was sponsored and created in partnership with Barneys New York.

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